I've never been to Paris, but I think authentic crossiants are supposed to taste like what La Chataigne makes. We've only tried the regular croissant because they're so good already, why add chocolate, right? Anyway, this is one of the best croissants in the East Bay. In fact, it beats Arsicault out in SF because although Arsicault is good, their croissants are only really good when they are hot. Whereas croissants at La Chataigne, granted that I haven't had them warm or just made, it's still crispy and light! I don't know what their secret recipe is, but I'm sure the chef secretly makes them, so no one steals the recipe. read more

La Châtaigne - We always get two because you just can't share this! - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - Lafayette, California

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Very very rare that i will stop eating to review a spot while sitting out in front, but the bread here is simply that amazing. My wife and i ordered a few things, but this baguette with French butter, ham, and cheese is so satisfying. The croissant is buttery, flaky, crunchy and soft. Would like to say more but i need to head back in to grab another baguette. read more

La Châtaigne - French butter baguette with ham and cheese - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - Lafayette, California

I am never going back again. Get ready for rude and possibly racist service. Every single time I go in, they never smile and always gives answers with a slight attitude, even when I ask in a very polite tone. The last time I went in, I paid $10 for a large brioche looking thing! No bread is worth $10, and it wasn't even that good. I asked if there were any more caneles and was told it was sold out and won't have anymore. I left but went back not even 5 minutes later to ask for another bag because they shove all the pastries in a bag, and everything on the bottom is smushed! I saw them give another customer caneles! According to them, they don't hold anything and you can't prepay for anything. So what the heck was that!!! BYE! read more

Delicious croissants and excellent service. There is usually a line in the mornings but worth the wait. read more

You're kidding right? First get ready for a long wait. Nice long line outside the bakery. Then, depending on when you go, get ready for an empty counter with the only choices are a bunch of cookies and the commie limit of only 4 croissants per customer. You want some bread? No bread. Maybe you come back and wait in line again only to get your limit of only 3 per customer. Here's a question. What if you have a family of 5 or 6....? From the long wait, to the lack of product, to the communist limit on what you can buy, to the smug owners telling their staff about the mandatory limits, to the most lack luster experience I've had lately. Good luck to you. Lafayette can do much better than this. read more

I'm honestly astonished at everyone's high reviews. Pros: + Buttered croissant is delicious + Only place I know that sells Canelés de Bordeaux + Parking free before 10 am Cons: + Service is lacking. No smile, no hello to welcome people into the store. + No signs explaining to people that you can ONLY buy two of every product with your party. + Will not let you use touch screen to pay so it's almost like you "need" to leave a tip. + You literally can't get anyone to pick up when you call AND they don't update hours on this Yelp page. Who they heck knew they were going to be closed unless you called them? Also, you can't call to ask what pastries they have left for the day so you could be potentially wasting a drive out there. Tl;dr While the pastries are delicious and comparable to Bouchon bakery in Napa and France, the service leaves a lot to be desired. read more

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We were pleasantly surprised that this place is also connected to Castagna Pasticceria right next door. We had delicious tea with the most amazing and scrumptious desserts. Emma was super sweet and so friendly and made our time here even more precious. Will definitely come back! read more

Asked my wife to pick up half a dozen of croissants for the family. When she tried to purchase the croissants, she was told that four (4) is the most croissants she can buy at a time. This is the most bizarre shopping experience I have ever had in my 19 years in the US. I immediately remembered how my parents would send me to buy bread in the early nineties in Belarus and they would only sell one loaf per person, so I would buy one loaf and then line up at the end of the queue again in an attempt to buy the second loaf, but all the bread would usually be gone by the time my place in line would come up for the second time. So, I would normally go home with one loaf only and on rare lucky occasions I would get two loafs. Who would have thought I would have the same problem at a local Bay Area bakery 30 years later. Unreal. read more

Recommended by a friend, I stopped by on a Sunday morning. The line was long and everyone was patient and no one left, it took 45 minutes to get from the end of the line to the door. Well, worth the wait, I ordered an almond croissant and an artichoke quiche. When I come back I will have a chocolate croissant now that I've read the reviews and the bread which was beautiful. Last week I was by close to closing. no wait, and very few offerings, but the lemon brûlée tart was to die for. read more

La Châtaigne - The Line when I arrived 9:00 AM Sunday - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - Lafayette, California

I've been going here for several years; they have wonderful quiche, pastries, croissants and bread. Definitely among my top ten bakeries in the Bay Area. However, I've stopped going recently. The last three times I arrived between 9-10:30am, I needed to stand in line for 20-30 minutes, only to have the people in front of me take the last of the bread / french croissants / quiche. It would be great to have more reliability, but for the moment I can't make this kind of time investment and then show up empty handed for my family. read more

I came here looking for plain shortbread cookies but they did not have any. Instead I tried one of their browned butter cookies made with a shortbread base. It was good, but not what I was looking for. They are a tiny bakery with limited selection. Decided to try one of their mocha drinks and Mmmmm it was one of the best, rich and dark chocolaty. Service was just ok. They have some unfriendly undertones. I tried calling them first to see if they had plain shortbread cookies, to save time and a prevent a wasted trip. The answering machine says they do not take orders over the phone but doesn't even give you a chance to ask a simple question or leave a message, it just hangs up on you, like they don't want to be bothered. Then there's that weird sign they put outside the bakery that says not to argue with the staff. I would only come back if I was in the area and I wanted to try their croissants which they are known for. read more

Excellent coffee great raisin pastry nice and light and fluffy soft not hard and chewy like other places the crème brûlée tart was overly lemony though a bit hard to eat even when i added whipped cream at home read more

I just split the world's best King cake which was still warm and baked with so much frangipane and buttery flaky goodness, downed with a hot cafe noisette, and life is so so good!! read more

La Châtaigne - King cake - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - Lafayette, California

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Pastries r best I ever had. But there staff just keeps getting worse and worse. What happened to customer service.? I get it... the flu is amongst us lmao but get ur head outta ur butt and treat ppl with respect. (Look up the word respect if you don't know what it means!). U have ppl that enjoy ur food and they walk in to order and u yell at them because they didn't hear you?! Sooo they don't want you to go in (as a married couple). One lady yelled at my husband to leave... yet you have a sign outside saying please no arguments with the staff.... but my husband is supposed to just take the fact that YoU want to yell at him? How is this a one way street? I have SO much to say but things I can't write. And because YOUR STAFF IS THE PROBLEM, you get a 1 Star now. read more

Fantastic! The closest we have found to a bakery in France. Try then bostock, you will be glad you did. read more

La Châtaigne - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - Lafayette, California

I'm mostly disappointed because I was hoping they would have had more of a selection when I arrived here. Specifically, I was hoping to get their chocolate almond croissant. Obviously, there was none left and there was only like four pastries to choose from - dang it! Could be Better: - The lady associate informed me that by the weekend, it is best to be there by 9am because they mostly have everything available. It was about 1pm when I arrived on a Sunday. The Good: - The dark chocolate mocha (which is also available in milk chocolate) was good. It wasn't too bitter. However, the drink is not available cold. - The Madeline butter pecan cookie was not too sweet; I liked it. - There's outside seating available. - They offer almond, soy, and oat milk at no extra charge. - They have French gifts for the grads that have studied abroad. - They have cheeses, honey, jams, and butter to purchase. - You can make special orders ahead of time. I would come back to check out their croissants but I don't know when that would happen because I'm not a morning person. Their shop is small so I understand that their production is limited. Hopefully, they expand and have a larger selection at later times in the future. It's just that I would think they would still have a pretty big selection on a Sunday by 1pm if they close at 4pm. read more

La Châtaigne - Dark Chocolate Mocha with Madeline Butter Pecan - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - Lafayette, California

My friend took me here and treated us to breakfast since she recommended their pastries. We went around 9:30am on Saturday and there was a short line probably about a 15 min wait to order. There's no menu sign outside so being my first time I felt kind of rushed to choose what to order -- and with the noise of the bakery and hustle & bustle it was hard on hearing, so I thought to kindly ask about their pastries and repeat a few questions. Service here is something they could work on as the front staff seemed very irritated with my minor questions. Almond croissant is extra crispy, a bit too crisp for my liking as it kind of scraped the roof of my mouth, but very flavorful! Will try again if I'm in the area for a quick morning bite and just stick to the main pastries. read more

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I love my cwwwasants :) and I'm very particular about how I like them. I've tried dozens of bakeries just to get my fix, just in case La Châtaigne is closed or it's one of those days when everyone is craving a croissant and they sell out. But nothing compares to their French butter baked goods! The croissants are delicious, and I always love to pick up their sourdough bread. I love this place!!" read more

Best butter croissant in bay area, let the French butter melt down in your mouth with joy. You will remember the top crunchy and inside buttery, puffy texture all day. Great work all team who prepares it during the night and serve freshly on day time. read more

Pro tip: if you want something specific, come early, earlier than you think. it opens at 8 and there will be a line. If you want to try your luck at getting more than 4 croissants then come later in the day and they are much more lenient. The bakery is small and gets lots of customers in the morning, therefore some foods have limits. The staff is kind and helpful but if you treat them with attitude, expect it back, but if you're cool and then they are great. All the food is delicious and if you walk away with one thing or 12, expect deliciousness. The bakery is very small but on the shelves there are many european snacks, candies, and more. Also for the summer they have the most delicious, authentic, and delectable gelato! They can't provide ice for coffee drinks and teas however they do have cold beverages and coffees in their fridges. read more

We came to this place for sandwiches after a hike in the area at around 11:30am. We were the only people in queue when we arrived so we order four sandwiches for the three of us but was refused to order more since my friend wanted to buy another sandwich to-go for her kid. The old man behind the counter was flat out rude and said, "only 4 sandwiches per person!", but we were party of of 3!!! Anyway we weren't served. We felt we were discriminated because of obvious reasons. Note: the sandwiches were disappointingly cold, soggy with too much melted butter, baguette was too chewy and the ham and cheese weren't too special. Totally overhyped by all the nice reviews. Will not come back again. Safeway has better baguettes and don't bother with the unreasonable service. Maybe I'll get better service if I put on a blond wig. read more

Very tiny bakery tucked in a quiet little outdoor mall in Lafayette. The pastries are AMAZING. All fresh ingredients and made to perfection. Almond croissants and pecan rolls are our favorite. They are a local favorite so the line can be fairly long and some pastries are sold out early. Because they only have outdoor seating, I could not give it 5 stars. It can be a bit cold at times. But it is one of our very favorite bakeries and visit it every time we are in the area. read more

Arrive early to avoid items selling out. Yes, it's that good. Nowhere to sit inside, cute bistro tables and chairs outside. I haven't had anything I didn't like there. My favorite go to is a cappuccino with a chocolate croissant. Enjoy! read more

This bakery is delicious! I ordered a bostock and an oatmilk latte & it tasted just heavenly. The service was just okay, nothing really stood out. It's a tiny space & gets pretty packed so be prepared to stand in line. Overall an 11/10! I will totally be back. read more

La Châtaigne - Bostock & a happy person. - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - Lafayette, California

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This bakery definitely has its good and bad. As a big coffee person, their coffee is definitely not very good. The moment you notice the coffee cup burning your hands, you know they over steamed their milk. However, their pastries are pretty good. My wife and I enjoyed the bostock but thought their madelines were pretty regular. Unfortunately the canolis were sold out but we will be back to try it. read more

A hot croissant fresh out of the oven from this bakery is, without a doubt, the best thing I have ever eaten in my life. They are open during COVID. Call in advance to make sure they have goodies. The time to treat yourself is noooooooooowwwwwwww read more

EDIT: I posted this review awhile ago. We were just in the circle and I saw this place again. My daughter went to show her friend my review and it was gone. Scrubbed by YELP because the owner must be a subscriber. It also didn't help that I mentioned the other N Word. Life is too short to be bullied. There's a breakfast place on the corner of Filbert and Stockton - preCOVID, they had lines down the block. I would always think "it's just eggs." Call me a heathen - croissants are flaky pastries. You can get them anywhere. No need to be treated badly to partake. I may give it one more star. The day we came here - they were out of "pan au chocolat" that pretentious for chocolate croissant. I ordered a plain one and I got crop dusted by its flakiness. There was a couple sitting at the next table with most beautiful grey almost blue mini greyhound. That dog couldn't contain itself and jumped on me to eat every last crumb. The owners apologized - but I didn't care, it was a sweet gesture. Two stars for the pastries. No stars for the service. There are signs every where regarding mostly what you CAN'T do. There are specific numbers of how many of each product you can purchase. Want to throw a brunch and serve quiche? La Chataigne is not for you. You can only purchase 2 mini quiches per family and they don't do special orders. So basically you show up on any given day and you accept what they put out. There are always half a dozen bakeries on my list of places to try. I received a certificate as a gift to this place so meh I'm not missing out. Lol my daughter was in line and she texted me "they are like" words used to describe soup guy on Seinfeld. read more

La Châtaigne - Limits on products. - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - Lafayette, California

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5 stars for the croissant! Buttery, flaky, rich in flavor - really took me back to Paris for abit. Glad for the other Yelp reviews who rightly claimed this was The Real Deal croissant! During shelter in place they're also selling gelato from a different vendor/ supplier in 8oz pre-packaged containers ($5.50). These look great for the hot afternoons we've been getting, I'll be back for them! Notably, everyone in store was wearing masks and as far as I saw, customers kept good distances between themselves. read more

La Châtaigne - Gelato during covid-19 - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - Lafayette, California

I visit frequently and now there is a lot more seating. 5-7 tables along with other seating available next door under a nice shady tree. Coffee has become very high quality and the service is excellent. The bakery has amended its offering and now has baguettes and a wide variety of really tasty lunch sandwiches and savory tarts. My favorite is the Copa with provolone or the many different buttery quiche. Gluten free options are great with two almond cakes, lemon and chocolate, along with brownies and cookies. I hope someday to be able to get gluten free croissants, but this is a challenge to be solved in the future. The shop also has a variety of gelato, some French dairy products like salted French butter and cheeses. I'm so happy our community supports this small business allowing us the gift of exceptional quality foods. Our entire family and many of our friends love La Châtaigne so much. read more

Delicious, we got to La Chataihne at 2:45 and they were bareboned, 4 fruit tarts, 2 gingerbreads, 1 sandwich, a couple dark chocolate cookies, and a handful of breads. Ordered 2 of each, amazing. Get there early, pay parking (don't forget or you'll get a ticket). Highly recommend. read more

Yuuuummmm these are our favorite croissants in the entire Bay Area! We hate the long lines and how quick they sell out so try to get here super early on weekends! The hubby wakes up at 5am these days so sometimes he sweetly picks up pastries up for the whole family before we're even up, LOL! The store is very small and there are only a few tables outside. So if you go prepare to eat in your car or while walking. They also have coffee and breads. If you happen to get there when their baked goods come out of the oven, you will be in heaven!! My kids favorite place to go when they're in town. read more

Open during shelter in place! This small little shop is in Lafayette and pretty easy to find. The croissants look and taste amazing. There is a limit to two people in the shop at a time with lines out the door people standing 6 ft apart. While I was there, we just went in one party at a time. There were still many things left and I think they're making items all day. They also serve coffee here (with milk alternatives) so you can get your morning breakfast fix here! We got regular croissants, chocolate croissant, raspberry danish & fruit tarts. read more

La Châtaigne - Patisserie/Cake Shop Near Me - Lafayette, California

Coming from the Lafayette library and a quick lunch at the Bookmark Café, we set out on foot in search of the La Chataigne bakery to quench my wife's bakery craving. Unfortunately, it's not easy these days to find old-fashioned bakeries, so we like to investigate if there's one nearby. All we knew location-wise was the address: 35 Lafayette Circle. It was a couple block walk, but Lafayette Circle intersects Mount Diablo Blvd., so no problem finding the street. But then we ran into a stone wall trying to find #35. We asked at a nearby restaurant and the employee said he had worked there seven years and had never heard of that bakery! Our phone seemed to show it was in La Fiesta Square, a small shopping center on Lafayette Circle. We couldn't see it, so we walked through the entire center, finding a map that showed the bakery (yay!) was just a few shops up from us. Still nothing. Then I noticed,in a nondescript storefront, one of those small regulatory notices, like you see for a new liquor license. It mentioned the store name: La Chataigne - we had found it! It's a tiny location, only a small table inside where the owner was sitting. He mentioned his contractor had taken down the sign and not yet put it back (although this didn't seem to bother him much!). I suppose most of their business is local and everyone knows where it is... It being early afternoon, a good part of the bakery items had been picked over, but we still found some things to our liking. We bought a plain croissant, a chocolate croissant, a bear claw and another round pastry that looked good. We then proceeded to the Starbucks down the street and enjoyed our coffee with baked goods far and above what Starbucks offers! My croissant expertise was limited to the Pillsbury doughboy variety, but this plain croissant, made with imported French butter, was out of this world: flaky, buttery and oh-so-delicious - definitely the best croissant I've ever tasted. In fact everything was marvelous! We will definitely have to return when we are in the area for some more croissants! read more

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The french croissants are amazing! I also enjoyed the almond croissants. Would recommend if you like crunchy stuff. The quiche I got was good as well but the pie tart is bland. Its cool they sell European butter as well since you cant really get that in regular markets. Overall would recommend but not if the line that day is extremely long. read more

Pastries were good, family loved it. Counter service personnel could be better for price point. Lazy, dumb teenagers... Be prepared for a long wait with social distancing in place and extremely slow personnel. Lack of inventory was a concern too, with many items missing or on shortage-rationed. read more

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You will NEVER eat better croissants, quiche, or sourdough bread than at La Chataigne. One suggestion to the owner: A reason the line is always so long is that you only have one cash register and one credit card machine, but three servers. Get two or three and link them so you have one listing of sales. read more

Not even at the busiest fine patisseries in France have we experienced the literal press and frenzy of this place. We live in Moraga and Orinda and were pleased to have the promise of a proximate French patisserie. To the point: Our combined number of hours in line only to discover what was promised at a certain time having not yet been baked or not at all available on that day, or asked to come back at various times, none of which successfully provided the product we were promised...and then served by people who were clearly overwhelmed and eager to dispatch customers as soon as possible. Not a graceful experience. Not worth returning. Preorders were not allowed. We have returned to ordering from our favorite places in Italy, Paris, NY and others of our experience, all of their offerings tasting as wonderful as ever. Life is too short to return to a place that feels like a hole in the ground. Hoping you will have a better experience. Dr. ESD read more

Delicious, fresh bread, sandwiches, and pastries. The line is worth the wait! Repeat customer;)

I come in all the time because they have the best pastries and coffee, hands down. This is a tough area to run a business, I got to see today how absolutely entitled people in this area are. It was raining, there were 2 customers inside, I have an 18 month old I was carrying, I walked in and stood to the right toward the fridge, to keep baby out of the rain. One of the women waiting pushed my baby and I out of the way when going towards the counter, I said, "I'm sorry, I know it's your turn, I was just trying to get the baby out of the rain." She looked at me spilled something sarcastic and just kept on going. The people at the counter remained professional, served her, when I approached crying they were empathetic and sweet. It must be SO hard to remain professional with an entitled, rude crowd like this. People forget their humanity at home when they go out in this area, maybe they're too rich to carry it. If you weed out the reviews where people just weren't served on a golden platter, this is THE best place to get pastries. Sorry you'll have to deal with some of the snobby crowd that lives in this area read more

My husband and i LOVE their butter croissants here! Their croissants are soooo light, flaky and buttery. WARNING- DO NOT EAT IT IN YOUR CAR! you will make a big mess! (lesson learned lol) They usually have a line in the morning so try to get there early to avoid waiting too long and to be able to get the pastries you want, since they only have a limited amount everyday. The bakery itself is very small. You just go in, order your pastries and get out. Lol. There's a couple tables and chairs outside where you can enjoy them. This bakery is located in a small plaza that gets pretty busy. Parking can be difficult on the weekends and its all parking meter so be prepared to pay a couple bucks for parking. Unless, you get lucky parking at a spot that still has time remaining :) We will keep coming back! read more